America’s Tall Ship, Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to return home

NEW LONDON, Conn. - The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, "America’s Tall Ship," is scheduled to return to their homeport at the State Pier in Fort Trumbull Friday, Aug. 10 at 10 a.m., marking the conclusion of their 2012 Summer Training Cruise.

During the voyage, which spanned four months and 13 ports in U.S. and Canada, more than 550 cadets trained aboard the Eagle in five functional areas of shipboard life: deck, operations, engineering, damage control and support.

This year, the crew of the Eagle had the special honor of commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812 in all of its ports, hosting and participating in events that celebrated and spread public awareness of the pivotal conflict. The Coast Guard’s precursor, the Revenue-Marine, played a major role in the war as the only U.S. military naval force at that time.

Crew of the Eagle also participated in OpSail 2012 in many of its ports, proudly sailing as the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. During the Boston visit, the crew of the Eagle sailed alongside the USS Constitution in an honorary salute to the city of Boston, the Secretary of the Navy and the Nation.

On July 7, the crew of the Eagle returned to their homeport in New London to bid farewell to Capt. Eric C. Jones and welcome Capt. Raymond ‘Wes’ Pulver in a change of command ceremony held aboard Eagle at Fort Trumbull. Jones, now the Assistant Superintendant of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, served as commanding officer of Eagle for three years.

"Eagle, its crew and embarked cadets are excited to return home after completing a successful training deployment. This summer was especially significant because of the opportunity to participate in OpSail 2012, the War of 1812 bicentennial celebrations,” said Pulver, the new commanding officer of Eagle. “We are looking forward to returning to New London, spending some time in our community with our families as Eagle completes maintenance in preparing for next summer's deployment."

The 50 enlisted members and six officers who make up the permanent crew, along with 17 cadets and 92 swabs aboard the Eagle will be pulling into their homeport of New London after nearly 18 weeks at sea.

Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German navy, the Eagle was taken by the United States as a war reparation following World War II.

With more than 23,500 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging, the Eagle has served as a floating classroom to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience.

The permanent crew maintains the ship and guides trainees through an underway and in-port training schedule, dedicated to learning the skills of navigation, damage control, watchstanding, engineering and deck seamanship.

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

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